The Lares trek in Peru

Unlike the classic Inca Trail you won’t be using porters; pack animals are a much more common form of transportation for Andean treks without the tricky Incan steps that dominate the classic trail. You’ll still want to check that your trekking specialist provides local trek staff with suitable clothing, insurance and food for your hike. And if you’re concerned about the welfare of a mule or donkey carrying your bag, speak up. British NGO Brooke has provided us with a checklist for travelers to ensure the fair and humane treatment of working mules and donkeys.

The Lares trail takes you into the heart of a fragile Andean ecosystem, one that is under pressure from local people and wider climate change. Kathy explains what Andean Trails is doing to help: “We support a reforestation project in the Lares Valley, which works to replant polylepsis trees – known locally as queñua trees. These papery-barked trees only grow at high altitude and help regulate the water balance in the high Andes. They are also key habitats for the tiny bugs and insects that feed a variety of rare and endemic birds – however, deforestation is a real issue. The polylepsis trees are a valuable timber resource for local communities, and over-exploitation plus climate change is threatening these forests and the wildlife that depends on them.”

In the Lares Valley there are a number of community tourism projects too – luxury lodges set up in collaboration with and staffed by local Quechua people. Or, at the other end of the accommodation spectrum, basic homestays with local families that offer an authentic insight into traditional Andean life in return for a top up on the basic income they earn as weavers or farmers.